A Full Ending
by Estrid2006
Summary: Okay so we had to write a story for English and i thought it would be worth uploading. it takes place during the trial...what happens when Gene confesses pushing Phineas from the tree? Just a One Shot


**Hi, well I had to write a separate ending for A Separate Peace for English class, but I ended up having to kill the story to fit the three pages (double-spaced!) so I needed someone to read this story! Please leave a review!**

"I can't think of the name of the engine. But it has two pistons. What is that engine? Well anyway, in this engine first one piston sinks, and then the next one sinks. The one holding on to the trunk sank for a second, up and down like a piston, and then the other one sank and fell," Leper said to the boys in the room.

Gene felt his stomach knot up as Leper recited what had happened the day Phineas broke his leg. He had assumed Leper would not remember anything, but he had just described everything perfectly as if he were watching it happen again. He felt the confession rising out of his throat, dying to come out into the open, and he fought to keep it down hoping that maybe Brinker wouldn't believe the Army drop-out. He felt his eyes widen in fear as he realized he couldn't keep the outburst inside and had to speak it.

"I did it alright!" I jounced the limb, I caused Phineas to fall!" I DID IT!" he screamed to the boys in front of him, forgetting in his explosion that Finny was right there beside him.

Before Gene had time to recover from the confession he felt a fist connect with the side of his face and a cry of rage from Finny. He was sent flying across the room and landed with a loud thud against the floor, his jaw already swelling slightly from the force of the hit.

"Yo…you…you're the reason I'm like this?" Finny stuttered his eyebrows knotting together in a barely controlled wrath.

Gene propped himself up with his left elbow and felt his cheek with his hands, wincing as he felt blood streaming slowly out of a small cut where his cheek connected to his neck. He didn't dare to look at Phineas afraid of what he'd see on his once friend's face.

"I'm sorry," Gene mumbled to the ground, not wanting anyone to see the single accursed tear that had slid down his face in his grief.

"Sorry…because of…you I'm a cripple and you think that your apology can make anything better!" Phineas screamed getting louder in volume as he continued speaking.

Gene looked up hesitantly at his friend's face and was shocked to see the look of utter hatred and loathing on Finny's usually fine features. He ran a hand across his cheek, trying to get rid of the mark the tear had left, and crawled to his feet. Gene took one last look at Finny and ran out of the First Building not knowing where he wanted to go, but having to get away.

Gene stopped just out of sight of the First Building and allowed the tears to come out freely, running down his cheeks to stream down his neck or fall off the onto his shirt. It took a minute before he realized that there were footsteps coming his way, many of them.

Gene swore under his breath and started sprinting down the walkway, knowing that only the Phineas from the summer could have caught him after his training. Finally he lost track of the footsteps meaning he had outran them, but still he did not stop. He needed to run, to feel the wind on his face, and outrun his inner demons.

He stopped when he realized he was at the playing fields where Finny had created Blitzball on a whim to avoid playing Badminton. He closed his eyes briefly and allowed his mind to travel into the past before this web of lies and treachery was ever created.

"I'm sorry," Gene whispered panting slightly from his run, having been unable to find his rhythm while he outran the others. Gene took a deep breath and continued running, needing to visit the areas where he had been close to Phineas. It took almost twenty minutes for Gene to make it to his destination. By the time he arrived, his tears were gone and his thoughts were running as fast as he had just been, thinking through an idea that had just come to him.

Gene was at the Crew House where he had shoved Cliff Quackenbush into the Naguamsett River. He walked slowly through the cabin and stood in the exact spot where Quackenbush had called him maimed.

Brinker had been right; Gene could remember every little detail that had happened that day. He remembered his blood boiling as Quackenbush had insulted him, and through him Phineas. He remembered slapping him across the face, his control snapping in an instant, he remembered dragging Quackenbush to the river and throwing him into the river, only to be dragged in afterwards.

Gene thought for a few minutes about why he had reacted so violently towards Quackenbush's insult and realized that it was because he had confirmed the part in him that Leper had brought out into the open, there was a savage in him.

Looking out at the River, Gene realized what he had to do. He swung his arms experimentally and took off running towards the dorm rooms a little over a mile away.

Five minutes later Gene was at his door. He leaned forward and pressed his ear against the wood, wincing as his still bleeding jaw hit the door. Gene waited until he was sure no one was in his room waiting for him before slowly turning the knob wincing as the hinges creaked.

The lights were off and he took a second for his eyes to adjust to the near black dark of night. He saw Finny's homework on Julius Caesar, still undone. Gene smiled slightly, although it didn't quite reach his eyes, and put a few quick notes down so Finny could finish later before grabbing a piece of paper. He took nearly ten minutes to finish what he was writing and by the time he was done, he was no longer afraid.

"Where is it?" Gene muttered under his breath digging his hands through Finny's clothing in search of the Devon school tie Phineas had worn at the headmaster's tea party so long ago.

He found what he was looking for and quickly tied it together with a few of his own ties. He folded the piece of paper, looking somewhat sad as he ran a hand over it, and slipped it in his pocket for later. Calmly Gene walked out of his dorm building whistling under his breath as he fought the urge to dart back into his room and throw away his idea…but he knew he had to do this. He walked for almost ten minutes before he reached the most significant spot at Devon, the tree from where Finny had fallen and broken his leg.

Gene looked up at the tree sadly, spotting the spot where Finny had fallen almost instantly. He unfolded the piece of paper and stuck it under a rock so it wouldn't blow away before taking a stuttering breath and climbing up the tree.

He reached the top after taking his time climbing up the rungs, and climbed out to where Finny had fallen a few months ago. He took out the rope of ties and glanced cautiously at them as if her were afraid of what they meant.

He carefully tied the end which was Finny's tie around the sturdy branch above his head, making sure it wouldn't come loose after he did what he wanted to do. Gene glanced towards the ground and spotted the spot where Finny had fallen to memorizing every rock and twig there before taking a deep breath and tied the other end of the "rope" around his neck making sure it was tight enough that it wouldn't slip off his neck once he committed himself to his actions.

Gene took one last look at the letter sitting at the base of the tree whispered "I'm sorry it had to be this way," and jumped…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Phineas found him almost an hour later. He and Brinker had ran out of the First building after him when he had initially left, but had given up when they realized he was too fast for them. They had settled with the fact that they would see him the next morning, and began walking around the grounds discussing why he would have done such a thing.

The two boys had almost passed the tree up, Finny not wanting to be reminded of that day or the cause of it, but a slight breeze rustled the leaves and Brinker glanced up fast enough to see the body swaying with the breeze suspended in the air by what looked to be a rope.

"Oh my god…Finny, is that Gene?" Brinker hissed grabbing Phineas's shoulder and turning him to face the body.

Phineas only had a quick glance before the wind died and the leaves covered the bodies face, but it was enough time to realize that his friend was up there. He limped to the edge of the tree, trying desperately to think of a way to get up and cut Gene down, although he knew it was already too late, when he noticed the letter fluttering weakly in the breeze.

Finny hesitantly picked the letter up, smoothed its edges and began reading the letter Gene had left for him.

_I'm sorry Finny, I'm sorry for what I did and for not telling you. But remember, I tried to tell you, when I visited you at your house, I tried but you wouldn't listen to me. I couldn't do it anymore Finny, tell Leper he was right, he was right about what he said at his house, there is a savage within me, a demon, and I would only hurt someone again if I allowed it to survive through me. Please forgive me Finny, and…Finny, I know you don't think there is a God out there but…can you pray tonight…for me?_

_-Gene-_

Finny looked up at the body swaying in the breeze and allowed the tears to come out, he watched as Brinker climbed up and cut him down with a Swiss Army knife, carrying Gene over his back on the way down. Finny looked into the face of his friend and whispered, "I forgive you Gene," before he broke down and begun crying not noticing as Brinker ran to go get help.

It was just him and Gene for the moment…


End file.
